For Kenya to maintain its pride, doping must be stamped out

Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich in the women's race of the 2020 London Marathon on October 4, 2020. [AFP]

It is not in doubt that the doping menace continues to pose a serious threat to Kenyan athletics. The world and course records set by Kenyan elite athletes are under scrutiny and clouded by doubts.

If a Kenyan athlete shatters a world record today, the question of whether the star that made history ran clean or not pops up. Just recently, marathon great Ruth Chepngetich was slapped with a three-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), a year after she became the first woman in the world to run under two hours ten minutes in 42km. A week before that, Diana Chepkorir was slapped with a four-year doping ban. Two weeks ago, Esther Gitahi was banned for for four years for the same reason.